Safer Sex
There are many infections a woman can get in her genital area. Germs that live in or on a person's genitals cause these diseases. These germs can be passed from one person to another during sex. Safer sex is any sex where you choose behaviours that make it less likely you will get an infection.
When we talk about safer sex, we often talk about body fluids. That is because some of the most serious infections, such as hepatitis and HIV, can be transmitted in body fluids such as blood, semen or vaginal juices. You can be infected with these diseases, if body fluids from an infected person enter your vagina, anus or mouth. Some sexual activities are riskier than others are.
Although safer sex may mean protecting yourself and your partner(s) from the exchange of body fluids, it really means any changes you make in your sexual activities to protect each other. For example, women who have herpes can often feel a tingling before herpes sores appear. Making sure your partner doesn't touch the infected area and modifying your sexual practices before the cold sores appear, and while they are visible, is a form of safer sex.
Honest communication is the key to safer sex. Talk to your partner about the possible risks you take when you have sex, and decide together which risks you are willing to take. Safer sex can be good sex. It encourages the two of you to communicate and it often makes sex-play last longer, building the intensity.
Other Safer Sex Tips
Never touch a sore caused by a sexually transmitted disease. Some kinds of infection can be carried on your hand, at least for a short time.
Drinking alcohol or taking drugs can influence the decisions a person makes about sexual risks. Be aware of how drug and alcohol use affects your decision-making around sexual activity.
Lesbians are not automatically free from sexually transmitted infections just because they have never had sex with a man. Lesbian partners also need to talk about safer sex.
Sharing needles to inject drugs is another way for someone to catch a sexually transmitted infection. If you or your partner injects drugs, you need to take some protective steps.
Can We Ever Stop Having Safer Sex?
Sometimes when a couple has been together for a while, they want to stop using condoms or to stop limiting the ways in which they have sex. If you and your partner are thinking about this, you need to be very honest with each other about your past.
Most people have more than one sexual partner in their lives. A previous partner may not have known they had an infection and you may not know now. Unprotected sex always involves some risk but the risk is low if: you have both been tested for sexually transmitted infections neither of you had sex in the six months before the tests with anyone else you can trust each other not to have sex with other people during your relationship (or to tell you so you can protect yourself) neither you or your partner shares needles to inject drugs.
Be careful not to talk yourself into this. We all want to trust our partners, but if you're not sure, you are probably not ready.
Regular Check-ups
You don't need to feel sick to visit your doctor! Visiting your health care provider periodically for a regular check-up helps make sure you stay healthy. Any health problems that are discovered can be treated early on, to protect your health.
This check-up is a good time to talk to your provider about your concerns. It is your chance to ask about birth control or any other aspect of your sexual, physical or mental health. If you get nervous going to the doctor, write some questions down to ask. This will remind you what you wanted to ask and give your doctor a chance to make time for your questions.
Try to go for your check up in the middle of your menstrual cycle. Avoid having sex or using vaginal medications or douche in the 24 hours before your appointment to avoid interfering with your Pap smear.
Vaginal Examination
A speculum is used to hold the vagina open during an examination.
A vaginal examination is also sometimes called a pelvic or internal exam. To do the vaginal exam, your provider will ask you to lie flat on the examining table with your feet in the stirrups at the end of the table. The stirrups hold your feet and legs up and out of the way so your doctor can look into your vagina.
The doctor or nurse will wear gloves. He or she will use a device called a speculum to hold the vagina open. This allows a good look at your cervix and the inside of your vagina. You may feel pressure, but it should not be painful.
During the vaginal exam your doctor may: take a swab of your cervix to check for infection
do a Pap smear to look for changes that may lead to cervical cancer if left untreated
feel your vagina, uterus and ovaries for lumps or tenderness
To check for infection, your provider will taking a sample from the cervix by touching it with a long handled Q-tip. This sample will be sent to the lab for testing. Your provider will also look to see if there is discharge or the vagina looks irritated.
To do a Pap smear, the provider will gently remove a few cells off of your cervix with a wooden spatula and a small brush. Cells from the spatula and brush will be rubbed onto a glass slide and sent to a lab where they will be looked at under a microscope.
To check for lumps or tenderness in your uterus or ovaries, your doctor will put one or two fingers inside your vagina and press on your abdomen with the other hand.
You may wish to call your doctor about two weeks after your examination to find out about the results of these tests.